Women’s soccer (12-1-4, 6-0-4 MAC) secured a spot in the Mid-American Conference tournament after defeating Central Michigan, 2-1, at UB Stadium on Thursday. UB then tied against Ball State on Saturday, which brought the Bulls to a 14-game unbeaten streak, tying the record-breaking 2014 UB team.
Central Michigan (2-10-4, 1-5-3 MAC) scored a goal in the 15th minute, leaving UB trailing for only a couple minutes before sophomore forward Arianna Zumpano was taken down in the box. The Bulls were awarded a penalty which freshman defender Ellie Simmons capitalized on to make the game even at 1-1.
The Bulls continued to push for the lead when sophomore forward Jasmine Guerber attempted a pair of shots toward the end of the half.
Fifth-year goalkeeper Emily Kelly stepped up to make three saves in the first half to keep CMU from having the lead at half.
The Bulls dominated the second half, out-shooting the Chippewas 14-1. In the 68th minute, graduate forward/midfielder Cashlin Copley sent a ball to freshman midfielder Katie Krohn. Marked by a CMU defender as she ran into the box, she took a shot across the goal and past the diving CMU goalie to give the Bulls the 2-1 win.
UB faced Ball State (6-4-7, 5-1-4 MAC) at Briner Sports Complex in Munchie, Indiana on Saturday. The Bulls went down a goal in the 17th minute when the Cardinals capitalized on a corner kick to get ahead 0-1.
UB produced six corners in the first half but were unable to capitalize on them.
Fifth-year midfielder Annie Judasz came off the bench and made an immediate impact. In the 37th minute, Guerber lofted a ball to Judasz, who headed the ball into the back of the net to knot the game up at one apiece.
UB came out strong in the second half. In the 50th minute, senior midfielder Leah Wengender assisted a ball to Guerber, who headed the ball into the back of the net to give the Bulls a 2-1 lead. Guerber is now leading the team with 7 goals and 4 assists on the season.
In the 74th minute, Ball State shot toward the center of the goal while Kelly was out of the net, which forced graduate defender Tess Ford to clear the ball off the line. The Cardinals attempted a shot on the clearance by Ford that was saved by Kelly.
Not too long later in the 79th minute, BSU hit a shot in the high left corner to equalize with UB at 2-2. UB had multiple solid opportunities to take the lead but never capitalized. In the 85th minute, Simmons took a free kick outside of the box that sailed toward the goal before it was saved by Ball State’s Bethany Moser.
The Bulls couldn’t find the back of the net before the end resulting in a 2-2 draw. The draw leaves them at a 14-game unbeaten streak, which ties a program record set in 2014.
UB will end the regular season at Kent State on Thursday at 3 p.m. If the Bulls can win or tie against the Golden Flashes, they will win the MAC regular season title as well as host the MAC tournament.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
